The Obsession with Whiter Skin: Unraveling the Cultural Roots

Introduction

Milky, snowy, bright, porcelain, white, glow, and white jade, are just a few words that skin-lightening products put on the cover of their products to entice customers. Skin lightening is very popular in Asia. But why is that so? Why is it used so much in this part of the world and why there is an obsession with having whiter skin? To find out why it is in high demand today we must start from the beginning.

Skin lightening

Skin lightening is not a new trend that popped up recently. Pale skin is deeply rooted in Asian culture. The belief that white skin is associated with power and white skin equals beauty began with colonization in many Asian countries. Many countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia were colonized by Europeans. The white skin of Europeans was considered superior. They lived a comfortable life out of the sun and therefore, have a higher status; and anyone with dark skin was considered the lower class and viewed as slaves, who work in the fields. The supremacy of white skin is deeply rooted in the culture and minds of Asians. These beliefs are passed down from generation to generation and became an obsession in Asia today.

During the first dynasty of Imperial China, skin color determined social status. People with white skin were associated with wealth aristocracy and social prestige. It showed that you did not have to work in the fields but could sit in the shade indoors. People with darker skin were considered lower class and are thought of as farmers, laborers, or slaves because they were darkened by the sun. Some people with higher social status would put on lead oxide powder, which is a dangerous bleaching product on their faces and bodies to create a bigger difference between them and the lower class. During this time the term, blue blood was used to refer to members of higher whose skins were so white they made their blue veins extremely visible. There is an old saying in China that associates fair skin with attractiveness. For example, “One’s whiteness can cover three kinds of ugliness.” This saying makes women believe that if they have pale skin, she will be considered beautiful and desirable.

The desire to have white skin has led Asians to adopt certain behaviors, which come off as strange to foreigners. Walking on any street in an Asian country and you will see many Asians walking around with umbrellas to cover themselves from the sun. Some people even wear long sleeves shirts and even jackets in 90 degrees Fahrenheit weather just to protect themselves from getting dark. It is also quite standard to find people fully clothed on beaches on sunny days. Some of them so used to covering themselves from the sun when they go outside. You will also see them covering themselves when there is no sun. In South Korea, many foreigners will see South Korean Women and girls putting on makeup that is lighter than their skin.

Today, there are many skin-whitening products in stores across Asia. Powders, creams, face washes, masks, lotions, and soaps are just some of the methods used to whiten skin. Today people in Asia have moved past slathering their skin in whitening cream to taking melanin reduction pills and injecting whitening agents into their skin as if it is a drug.

While some people are embracing the color they were born with, many want a fairer complexion and this obsession with whiter skin has led to many health risks. Skin-lightening creams contain harmful chemical ingredients such as mercury. Mercury is a common ingredient used in whitening products because its acts like bleach. Mercury can lighten skin, but it is also harmful. The use of Mercury can lead to blotchy skin, anxiety, depression, weakness, nerve or kidney damage, and many more health issues like mental illnesses.

These lightening creams are not always regulated by the government. While the United States has stricter laws on ingredients for beauty products, other countries may not. Dermatologists across Asia now offering skin whitening creams, pills, injections, laser treatments, and more treatments at large prices. Consumers ranging from teenagers to senior citizens who are on a small budget and are desperate for lighter skin may also choose illegal products containing toxic chemicals. Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change has cracked down on cosmetics companies from all around the world that have been using an excessive amount of mercury in their skin-whitening creams.

By the year 2024, the skin whitening industry will we worth approximately thirty billion dollars. Half of the population in Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines use skin-lightening products and treatments. It is also higher in India with approximately 60 percent using these products and treatments. With the beauty market growing, more whitening products are coming into the market. This is increasing colorism beliefs that drive the need to have the fairest skin.

The idea of white being associated with wealth is still true today, as many people still believe that with whiter skin, they will be able to receive a better job and attract a romantic partner. The Ideology which privileges light-skinned people and improves their life chances over their dark-skinned counterparts in society. White skin is marketed all over Asia. It is common to see advertisements featuring people with white skin and some of them being photoshopped to look like their skin is whiter that it really is.

Recently the term whitewashing became a word that international K-Pop fans from all around the world use when they see edited pictures of K-Pop idols who have darker skin edited to make them look paler than they are. Sometimes, it makes them look like ghosts or as some people say, vampires.

K-Pop Idols embody the beauty standards of being pale. In Asia films and television shows models and actors who have white skin. In a society that constantly promotes whiter skin, it is not hard to understand the obsession. If you walk around South Korea or even take the train you will see Korean people, especially women, putting on makeup that is extremely whiter than their skin color. It is hard to not look at them because in America this is not common.

There are K-Pop idols like Jessi, an American-born rapper known for her dark skin. Hwasa from Mamamoo is known nationally and internationally for her dark skin, and Hyorin an ex-member of Sistar are embracing their naturally dark skin color. Hyorin, since debuting in 2010 has been criticized by the Korean media for her supposed lack of beauty, but she has defied critics by becoming a beloved, tanned icon!

Models like Han Hyun Min whose father is Nigerian and whose mother Korean is Korea’s first black model broke in the fashion world despite the racism he encountered. Growing up in South Korea he was bullied because of his skin color. Model Moon Gabi became viral for her distinct look. Her darker skin makes many people think she comes from a multi-heritage background. Her Korean father is also dark-skinned, and this is where she gets her skin color.

In India, the film industry contributes to the obsession with white skin and most leading Bollywood stars have a pale complexion. The influence of family members also plays a big role in children’s lives in India. The moment a child is born, relatives start comparing children’s skin color. According to the Guardian, “Skin color is also a fraught issue when it comes to marriage. Adverts placed by parents wanting to arrange a marriage for a son specify potential brides should be very fair-skinned. It’s like at the market, you pick and choose, and just as everyone wants a nice red tomato, they also demand a fair-skinned daughter-in-law”.

Bias for white has been upheld by colonialism. Rulers in India have often been white and influenced by a European power. Pale skin has always been associated with power. The caste system also determines the occupation and social status at birth. Discrimination of skin color in India is deeply ingrained in the culture. The idea that the Aryans, who are Indo-Iranian people are referred to as the noble class is superior to the Dravidians, who form most of the population of South India. The caste system also plays a role in the obsession with white skin, the upper castes are associated with the priest, intellectuals and being fair-skinned than lower castes. The darker ones looked their social status is lower. They are made to do less desired jobs, such as; toilet cleaners.

Products like whitening lotion, whitening soap, and whitening deodorant flood The Philippines. According to SBS News, “It is estimated that one in two Filipino women have used skin whitening products at some point in their lives.” In the Philippines, having white skin gives a person many advantages. Many Filipino women are admired and envied by other women. They have more privileges than dark-skinned women. Most Filipinos are born with brown skin, but their society has taught them not to be proud of it. Many Filipino actors are born white, but some become white through the help of bleaching products. Filipinos worship people with milky white skin.

Spaniards made Filipinos feel lesser than them with centuries of colonization. As stated by the Odyssey, “when Spain invaded the Philippines, the colonizers brought with them the idea of skin color hierarchy. Dark skin was associated with poor laborers who had to work outside just to make ends meet. Those in the upper class, however, had lighter skin either because they are mixed-race Filipinos or they’re wealthy enough to not work under the hot sun.”

Most Filipinos do not desire to look exactly like a Caucasian they feel that they want to improve their Asian features. However, what most consider Asian features are fair skin, jet-black hair, almond-shaped eyes and more. The thought of these features resembles western features. Most people whitening products use to promote their products in the Philippines are mixed race. The thought of trying to achieve white skin like someone of mixed race is not possible. In a dialect of the Filipino language, the word Mag Uuma is used to describe farmers, rice field workers or peasant. It is occasionally used as a derogatory term towards people of darker skin.

Skin color plays a big role in people’s everyday lives. The color of your skin is the first thing people notice about each other. This opens perceptions and thoughts about people without getting to know them. There is colorism against the people of the same races based on skin color. Many people are bullied for having darker skin. The belief that white is better starts within the family. Many family members think their children will have an easier time in life if they have lighter skin. This causes pressure on children to conform to the standards.

Conclusion

In a society where power and control are sought after by almost everyone, skin lightening is and has historically been a way for differentiating groups of people to gain higher social status. Though Westerners put a high value on white skin, ironically, they now think of tanned skin with wealth, giving rise to the ‘bronze skin’ phenomenon. People now believe that those with tanned skin can afford expensive trips to an exotic places. When people come back home from their trips the first thing people talk about it how tanned they are. While the obsession with pale skin has slowly diminished in the West, the superiority of white skin has remained in Asian countries.

What does this mean for the future? When children are raised to believe they aren't good enough or they not beautiful because of the color of their skin the obsession with white skin will continue from generation to generation, and the unhealthy obsession will continue to be a cycle. In the United States, children are taught to embrace their skin color. Everyone comes in different shades and one should not be treated as being superior to the other because of the color of their skin. There are many things that people should take into consideration when it comes to judging someone; like education, how you treat others and many other things, skin color should not be the reason some enjoy life. Though the media influences children. Family members must think about what they tell children because children spend the majority of their time with them than anyone else.